‘We are capable of scoring goals against anybody’ – Skinner pleased with West Ham’s attacking efficiency | OneFootball

West Ham United manager Rehanne Skinner admits that she is pleased with her side’s attacking efficiency with The Hammers having netted nine goals in their last four games.

Off the back of a series of busy transfer windows, Skinner’s side have taken time to gel but they are now getting consistent results, particularly in attack.

When speaking to the media ahead of this afternoon’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Chelsea, Skinner hailed her side’s progression in their attacking game.

“Across the board, we are more composed structurally in terms of how we manage the game in and out of possession,” Skinner said. “The biggest thing is that we’ve been effective going forward as well; we’ve been scoring goals in games. The clean sheet against Tottenham was also important. Across the board, all of those little bits are coming together positively.

“We always want to have more possession and we want to keep working on reducing transitions but when we are transitioning to attack, we are becoming a real force to be reckoned with.”

West Ham United have enjoyed their successful spell in-front of the opposition goal whilst having less of the possession in all of their recent games. Skinner has been pleased with the chances that her side have created along with their ability to convert.

She said “It’s really important that we take the chances when they present themselves. One of our biggest challenges has been to create more and now that we are doing that, you are seeing the conversion element of it. If you’re not prepared to take things on, the chances of you scoring are a lot less.

“We’ve had to change the mindset a little bit from the start of the season to now but it also comes with the players that have settled in. It has just helped the team evolve throughout the season and now, we are creating more final third entries, more box entries, more shots and more goals.

“We are capable of scoring. We scored three against Arsenal, one against Man City; we are capable of scoring goals against anybody. It’s just taken time to bed that in and make sure that people are positive in those areas.”

West Ham United face latest opponents Chelsea just three days after their UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final success against Manchester City. The Blues could make changes to their starting XI but Skinner believes that those potential adjustments won’t have too much of an impact on her own side’s planning.

She said “The team plays how the team plays regardless of which players are on the pitch. The style of play and trends that they have are all the same. You have to be mindful of how certain individuals play but you can’t predict [the team] when it’s this kind of set-up.

“We’ve played them twice already and we’ve played them fairly recently, so that stands us in good stead to know what we are up against. Players watch games, they know what to expect, so it’s nothing major to plan and prepare for.

“We know it’s going to be a challenge, we know that they’re top of the table for a reason. We just prepare in our way to make sure we do the things that we do well. When it comes down to it, we will make those little tweaks on the day to help manage what’s in-front of us.”

West Ham United’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Chelsea kicks-off at 4.30pm this afternoon.